The State of Nature
by la-perla's mermaid
Summary: While Po is away during the events of POD, Tigress and the masters go on a journey to find the truth behind her past and the identity of her parents, but before them there are many awful thruths to be uncovered. REPOSTED BECAUSE I CHANGED THE ENDING.


The state of nature

Disclaimer: I don't own anything (aside from the artwork) so don't sue me.

For those interested I still plan to work in one wild night, it's just that this concept came up to me because I'm still mad that the furious five are not part of the new series, so I did a story were they are on an adventure and Po doesn't show up. I posted this last week but then chose to change the ending of the story, that's why I fixed it and reposted it now.

Life in the Jade Palace without Po should be wonderful, there should be less distractions and chaos, less troubles to face and less mess to clean up. And for the most part, it is. But for the masters it has also become so much more boring and empty, there's this huge vacant space in the training hall, there's the absence of homemade spices wafting from the stove as his special ingredient soup is no longer being cooked, and an overall lack of laughter on the barracks.

Nobody bothers to deny they miss him, not even the harsh and cold Master Shifu, who feels lost and with an excess of free time because he no longer has to watch over his most infuriating but also most promising student.

They are all at a loss on what to do and how to move on, of course Po would come back, but his latest mission in the panda village with his new students is bound to take him away for a very long time, perhaps even years.

Without the dragon warrior available for a challenge even the criminals have gone quiet, sure there's the eventual robbery or passing bandits but the masters can deal with those even in their sleep.

As for Tigress she feels worried, Po has long ago surpassed her skills but should he face danger (and if the legend of the four constellations' chi is real that's bound to happen) she won't be there to help. For days on end she meditates looking for an answer on what to do with her life now that he is gone.

Ever since she could remember she always had one goal, train as hard as she could to become the dragon warrior. When Po stole said title from her she was then tasked to provide backup from all the chaos that followed, but now that he has become a master on his own and left, what is she supposed to do with her life? What goal could she follow from now on?

Times like these, so quiet and peaceful are ripe for some soul searching and without a higher goal, a pressing battle or danger ahead she can finally look within herself to see what she's missing.

Well, deep down she knows what she needs, what is the missing piece for her to feel whole again, is just that she's afraid to admit it to herself. Yes, Tigress the hardcore master has questions and is terrified to search for the answer.

The question that has been running around in her head everytime she sat to meditate is, where does she come from? What is the story of her past? what happened to her real biological family? Why was she abandoned in an orphanage?

Taking a deep breath she stares at the horizon from the top of the stairs of the Jade Palace, well beyond the valley of peace and into the distance. Her answers are there, and now that there are no more urgent issues to deal with it might be the best time to search for them.

She sets her mind on her new mission and heads to the training hall to inform Shifu and the other four masters.

-"I'm glad you decided to search for your family, it might bring you closure"- Viper said with a friendly smile while using her tail to spar with monkey, as he twirled his nunchucks she wrapped herself around the weapon rendering it useless, then made a whiplash motion that put him off balance knocking him to the ground

-"Yeah, kudos on that, but do you even have an idea on where to start?"- Crane asked while using his wings to expel a powerful gust of wind aimed straight at Mantis, who was swept away several feet only to land inside the jade turtle, the large bowl shaped structure shook and rolled in circles because of the impact, making the insect bounce inside.

-"Not really"- She said a little crestfallen

-"I might have an idea on where to start looking"- Master Shifu said from his usual corner where he liked to supervise his students -"You are the only tiger in the whole valley and your species is rare in China, that means your parents probably came from abroad. The most knowledgeable in foreign affairs is Constable Hu, he might be an obnoxious bureaucrat but he has traveled abroad many times and his job is basically keeping in touch with international gossip"- He shrugged -"It's still a long shot but all we have to lose is out time… and our patience"- He grumbled at the thought of spending time with that boring meddling bureaucrat

Mantis crawled out of the jade turtle and shaking out his dizziness he launched himself at Crane, then twisting his beak upwards he tackled the bird hard into the ground -"Uh sorry to be the _that _guy. But have you considered that assuming that you find them, it might not be a happy reunion? I mean they did abandon you"- The insect was blunt, but he did have a point

Oh she had considered that, all of her life, to the point of never even wanting to search for her past because she was afraid of what it might unveil. -"Po found the truth about his parents and it was awful, her mother was killed in a genocide, yet knowing where he came from brought him inner peace."-

-"It's okay, so maybe you never met your parents, but you always had a family with us"- Monkey said quickly disentangling from Viper's choke grip, then he walked towards Tigress and placed his hand over hers

She gave them all a shy small smile and placed her huge hand over his -"Thanks guys"-

Constable Hu was always a gracious host, when the masters came to meet him he was already waiting for all of them with tea and biscuits.

-"Oh yes I have an educated guess on where her parents might be from. Considering Master Tigress is twenty seven years old I wouldn't be surprised if they were part of a large feline exile from the kingdom of Gorkha in Nepal that happened around that time. Because of obvious geographic reasons most of them migrated south towards India, but it wouldn't be impossible for a few of them to go north and cross the large mountain range towards China. My, I remember when I was just a wee lad stationed in Banbasa, the felines would walk along on large lines from the Himalaya, all terrified, sick and hungry"- The elephant bowed and shook his head -"Such a pitiful sight"-

-"But what happened? What caused the exile?"- Tigress asked, the question mirrored in all the master's faces

-"Gorkha is a very secluded kingdom I'm afraid, and most of the felines that came from there refused to explain in detail what happened. For all I could pick up it all came down from a sudden change in administration, the old rulers were deposed and a new one was set in his place."-

-"They escaped the new regime"- Crane said serious

-"I'm afraid so"- Hu said while drinking his tea.

Tigress stood up, excused herself and quickly left the room.

-"Where are you going?"- Viper asked as she catched up with her friend

-"Nepal, it's a long journey I better prepare"- Tigress said growling looking straight ahead. How much she regretted not asking questions earlier, for years an evil king had been casting her own kind out of their homes while she lived in a palace and called herself a protector of the innocent.

-"From what Hu said your parents left Nepal so that would be the last place you could find them"- Monkey said scratching his head

Finally stopping in her tracks she twirled around to snap at her friends -"I can't search for them blindly around China! they could be anywhere from all I know. But I can go to Nepal and see what happened and why they were forced to leave, if I find out who they were I might have a chance to finding them later on, and if they were victims of a despot then I'll avenge them"-

-"Are you honestly saying you would depose a king?"- Master Shifu told her with a serious expression

Forcing her voice to be more soft and respectful she politely answered him-"If he caused the misery of my kind then yes, didn't we do the same with lord Shen?"-

-"I don't like where this is going"- Monkey whispered to Mantis

-"Oh why would you be concerned? After all it's just Tigress going on a warpath to assassinate a king, what could go wrong?"- Mantis growled loud enough for everyone else to hear

-"Then we will all go with you, if there is a despot hurting their people then it is our job to defend them, but I won't let you alone on a suicide mission like that"- Shifu told her harshly, had Po been here he would have sent the panda with them while he stayed guarding the valley, but without that fat bear always bothering him he felt bored out of his mind inside the palace, he could use a change in scenery.

-"Great, that's what we needed, a suicide mission"- Crane grumbled while adjusting his straw hat

-"But who will guard the palace and the valley of peace?"- Viper asked Shifu

-"I will contact Master Croc and Master Chicken, they will protect the valley in our absence"-

After all preparations were set the group of Kung Fu masters headed to the south. It was a good thing they began their journey during the summer, while the peak of the mountains they had to cross would always be covered in snow, should they try to travel in winter they would probably get snowed in and freeze to death.

The easiest way to cross the mountains was by following the river of Trisuli, heading south towards the area of Terai, bordering India. They had managed walking distances of this kind before and without the need to slow their pace because Po was wheezing from exhaustion they reached their destination a lot faster than they thought. But there is a clock ticking made by climate, their mission would have to be over by the beginning of autumn or the heavy snow of the mountains would close their paths and force them to wait for a whole year, until the next spring, before returning to China.

Almost at the other end of the river, close to their destination, they chose to stay at a small inn. The place took advantage of its geographic position since it was the only establishment in the whole path of the river, the drinks and food were of very poor quality and cheap, since most of its clientele were lowlife merchants.

Ther manager of that place was a young female antelope in her early twenties named Aruma, by the way she interacted with the other patrons it was clear she had a dry sense of humor and an imposing personality. She led the inn just like her parents had before her, knowing that high quality goods wouldn't be affordable for her patrons and that keeping things clean and tidy would be a waste of energy and money. There was a time when Aruma had wished for a better life, she was smart and capable and naively thought she could change things for the better, but her family had made the concept of lowest common denominators into a life philosophy that laughed in the face of high expectations, eventually she settled into that mentality as well.

So when six strange foreigners came inside, one of them a tigress wearing golden silk, another a snake with intricate tattoos and delicate ornate flowers on her head, all walking with their backs straight and poised like they were something special they stood out like a sore thumb.

-"So what brings you guys here? We don't see chinese tourists very often"- Aruma said while wiping the table they sat, not bothering about hiding her curiosity.

-"I am looking for my parents, apparently they might have been born here but left during the large feline exile almost three decades ago. We don't know what caused the exile aside of a change in government, would you tell us what really happened?"- Tigress asked hopeful, her hands placed daintly on the table as to not twist them nervously

The antelope shrugged, forcing herself to remember the stories her elders had told her when she was a child -"Thirty years ago there was a violent uprising in Gorkha against its Queen who was a tigress, many of the tigers and leopards that were part of the regime had to run away or be executed. A lot of them managed to escape but those who belonged in high ranks were chased down by the army"-

-"Are you saying all tigers left?"- Crane asked

-"Not really, not every single one of them were part of the queen's court. Several actually helped overthrow her and they became part of the new government so there's actually a lot of tigers still living there"-

-"Well if my parents had to leave it is likely they sided with the original king, it would explain why they ran away"-

-"If they were chased away by an army it would make sense to leave you behind, they were in danger."- Shifu told her while gently placing a hand over her forearm, as displays of affection goes, it was the most he had done in years.

Placing a hoof on her hip the barmaid sighed -"Well I wasn't even born when it happened but my parents told me the story. They said there was a lot of hatred and rage towards all felines after the revolution, many were innocent but still felt harassed and had to leave anyways. But if your family had anything to do with the old regime I recommend you turn back and never step a foot on Gorkha, there is a lot of hatred still going against the old queen even after all this time"-

-"Why? what did she do?"- Mantis asked, knowing he wouldn't like the answer

Crossing her arms and shrugging the barmaid made a face -"The thing is I don't really know. The stories I heard about her were so different and never had much sense anyway, some say she was a crazy cannibal monster that ate little prey kits in their sleep, some say she was a misunderstood martyr that did her best for the people. All I know if that if you ask two different animals you'll get two different responses. The official version of the current government sides with the crazy cannibal story, but my parents said it was an exaggeration and things were more complicated than they looked."-

The thought that her parents might have sided with an evil emperor made Tigress fur stand on end

-"What about the new king? Is he good?"- Asked Crane tilting his head

-"He hasn't been accused of eating children in their sleep so that's an improvement over the last one, he's good I guess, things in Gorkha run smoothly for the most part"-

….

The kingdom of Gorkha was lodged inside the mountains, while some of its buildings showed the pagodas they were familiar with, in general the constructions were smaller and simpler than the typical chinese ones. Though sometimes they would run into temples that were very different from what they knew, they were of round shapes and extremely intricate designs with elaborate sculptures decorating every inch, tons of arches invading its exterior, judging by the strange language carved at its entrance you might guess they were influenced by indian architecture. Some buildings were a strange hybrid of the two styles, round shaped pagodas with simple shapes on the walls but intricate patterns on the windows. The roads were often narrow and steep, and wherever they looked they saw nothing but imposing mountains, green at the bottom and snow covered at its peak, it's natural beauty was breathtaking once the golden and pink rays of sunset reflected on them. The fields of barley, buckwheat and potatoes were grown on ladder like platforms with crystal clear rivers and waterfalls flowing between the high peaks.

Tigress was amazed at how many tigers walked freely beside them, she had grown used to being the only one of her kind back in China, she couldn't help feeling a sense of excitement and belonging in being surrounded by her own species. Also she noticed that most of those tigers were larger than her, even twice her size. Sure she had met and fought animals larger than her, elephants, rhinos and such, but seeing such big specimens of her own kind made her feel tiny.

Walking towards the middle of the main square they saw a monument made in stone of a large rhino with a broken crown and a feline skull laying at its feet. Behind him there were four large stone columns with hundreds of names carved on it, below them natural flowers, candles and other offerings were placed. Judging by the metal plaque in front of them those names were of the fallen, first during the regime of the "state of nature" and then during the revolution.

Tigress didn't know what the state of nature meant, but if so many people had been killed because of it then it couldn't be good. Looking around her she saw clean orderly streets, children of several species playing outside without a care and people just going on with their lives with a pleasant smile on their faces.

Then she felt a very light pressure on her hanfu and was quick to notice a corsac fox kit grabbing her bag of coins, as soon as she laid her eyes on him the kit scurried away at a great speed, though she didn't waste much time giving him a chase and the other masters were quick to follow. They almost lost him on the narrow corridors but the rascal made a wrong turn and ended up facing a dead end in a dark alley, as the masters encroached the kit Tigress towered over him and demanded in her full authoritarian voice

-"Give me my bag back"-

The kit looked horrified towards her direction and trembled with fear, maybe she had gone a bit too far, he was just a kit after all. Rolling her eyes she told him

-"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. Just give me my things back and I'll take you to the authorities"-

-"Tigress I don't thinks it's you that's scaring him"- Crane said worried from beside her.

Turning around she realized that while they got in that alley a huge tiger had placed himself behind them and was now blocking their exit.

With a sadistic lopsided grin the massive feline said -"Well look at this fancy group of tourists"- Walking closer to them he settled his eyes on Tigress -"You know a pretty dainty kitty like you shouldn't be on the streets alone, someone might try to take advantage of you"-

Dainty? Really? She had been called many things throughout her life, especially by criminals, but dainty had never been used to describe her and she found that word even more insulting than kitty, big or not this jerk has just signed his death sentence.

Meanwhile the fox was ignored by all the adults in the alley so he took advantage of the situation and slipped below them, away from this mess.

-"I'll show you how a dainty little kitty can handle herself"- Tigress said resuming a combat pose, beside her the other masters did the same.

The tiger crouched in a feral attack pose, then he roared. All her life Tigress thought she had a mighty roar that could be used as a very effective intimidation tool, but his roar made hers sound like a cute soft purr. The rumbling sound made their bones shake and reverberate below their flesh, the wind of his powerful stinky breath could put a typhoon to shame, it was the first time they saw how terrifying a tiger could really be. Launching themselves at the attack hey kicked and punched him hard, all coming at him at once, but his skin was too thick and his muscles too strong.

Unlike the masters he had no true technique but he compensated it with size so hitting him might have been like hitting a concrete wall, his punches didn't land often but when they did they left the masters dizzy and disoriented. Lucky for them Master Shifu had spent several decades disciplining felines much larger than him, sticking his cane into the ground he climbed on top of it, now face to face with the tiger he grabbed his whiskers and plucked them out in one brutal pull. The momentary pain left the feline distracted long enough for the other masters to coordinate a more effective attack, Crane flapped his wings with enough force to send a gust of wind and dirt towards his teary eyes, Viper slithered onto him towards his neck so she could choke him and pull his head backwards leaving his torso exposed. That was when Monkey launched himself at his stomach and delivered a rapid group of powerful blows, crawling to the tiger's side Mantis used his front legs and sharp tibial spines to poke his nerves. It was up to Tigress to do the final blow, she kicked him hard behind the knee dislocating the joint and making him lose balance, the large assailant fell like a chopped down tree.

They were about to tie up their defeated foe when the members of the imperial guard came in, apparently the kit had run away but instead of going home and minding his business he went to alert the authorities before those tourists got killed. The guards were large felines as well, a male plump tiger and a tough looking muscular female leopard.

Before lifting up the assailant one of the guards picked Tigress' bag from the floor and gallantly gave it back to her -"I'm assuming this is yours"-

-"Thank you"- She said hiding her fluster, it was nice to be noticed by a healthy male of her species but she couldn't help feeling a little awkward at the way he towered over her, he seemed almost patronizing.

-"It's a good thing this little robber came to warn us. Even when I have to admit you managed quite well on your own"- the female guard said nodding towards the little fox kit

-"I didn't rob anything! I helped those tourists"- The fox said pouting at the female leopard guard that held him by the arm.

-"I know you did, but this is your third strike Nabin, you know what that means"- She said growling back

Looking at the cold eyes of the felines and the disapproving glance of those tourists Nabin finally understood what was awaiting him, as worry settled inside him he resorted to one final strategy, cry and beg for forgiveness. -"No, please don't! I swear I'll be good from now on."-

-"I heard that before"- The leopard said rolling her eyes

-"You left us no choice"- The male tiger said imposing, then he kneeled to meet the cub's eyes and with a serious stare he told him -"We're taking you home and telling your mom"-

As the leopard dragged the wailing kit towards his house the tiger took some time to talk to the tourists, while he was at it he could spend some time with that foreign tigress. -"Sorry for that, Nabin is a good fox and he behaves well during the year, but around this time it's his little sister's birthday and his family never has enough money to buy her a present, so he gets creative"-

All the masters felt sad at hearing the kit's story, and while Tigress wasn't soft on crime regardless of who is the criminal, she couldn't be mad at a child that did try to help them and will probably still face some punishment for his actions.

Monkey however came up with and idea that would help the little rascal -"Guys we need a guide to help us know the city, why don't we hire that kit and let him show us around? We could pay him for it so he doesn't have to steal anymore"-

The other masters shrugged and nodded, it would be useful for them and it would teach the child that working pays better than stealing, plus it would deter the guards from snitching on him with his mom.

Nabin was actually really good at showing them around the realm, he was extremely smart, cunning and well educated in spite of his low social status, he even knew how to read a little, something quite rare for a peasant. He showed them the beautiful intricate temples and the most wonderful mountain views this beautiful land could offer. When the masters asked the fox about the exile and the old queen the kit admitted not to care much about history so he sent them with someone that would know much more than him of the matter, he took them to see the best scholar in the entire kingdom, a danphe pheasant named Tibra.

The avian was one of the oldest animals in the valley, she had worked many years in the palace and saw not one but three generations of rulers begin and end their rule. She lived alone in an isolated house at the top of a steep narrow cliff that was more available by flight than by land, but in this strong mountain winds Crane would barely make it on his own, he wouldn't be able to carry his friends.

The rest of the masters and their guide would have to climb to get there. Nabin moved with a practised ease that looked like graceful skipping and the other masters didn't have much difficulty climbing, even Shifu handled himself well in spite of his years. But the mountain soil was too brittle for Tigress' larger weight, many times the rocks she used for support broke and she almost stumbled on the dangerous decline.

-"Maybe you should wait below, Tigress. This climb is too dangerous for you"- Mantis told her while his limber feet easily navigated on the dangerous floor.

-"I can make it"- She said stubborn and threw her companions a harsh glare, but by doing that she didn't look where she put her paw and the rock where her entire weight was supported broke completely causing her to stumble and fall. While stumbling she tried to latch onto anything at hand but before she could secure her grip a sharp rock cut her torso and the momentary pain was enough to distract her, by the time she opened her eyes she was free falling without anything to cling to. Bracing herself for a certain death seconds felt like an eternity, until she stopped in mid air with the most jarring pain of all, someone had grabbed her from the tail pulling on her entire spine. Looking behind her she saw Shifu grabbing her tail with a look of pure exasperation, behind him Viper curled around his hand and stretched out like a rope, next in line was Monkey who was in turn grabbed by Mantis. Nabin meanwhile was already at the top yelling them to stop fooling around and come up already. Grumbling Shifu swinged his arm until she hit the side of the cliff.

Only when she was secured did Shifu begin his angry rant -"That's enough! you stay here, it's an order. You're getting distracted and your dumb pride will get you killed"-

-"No I need to go and hear what she has to say about my parent's history. I will be more careful I promise, please master"- She pleaded desperate knowing he was telling the truth but also believing he couldn't understand how important this was for her.

There is a secret nobody knows, the sight of his children's pained eyes can sometimes melt the cold in Master Shifu's heart. He did know how his daughter needed closure on this matter and to find answers, leaving her behind would be devastating.

Groaning he finally conceded -"Okay but from now on you better be more careful"-

The rest of the climb was hard for her, but by taking it more slowly she managed to reach the top without further incidents

Tibra was an energetic old lady that loved to chat and enjoyed the company, her eyesight was gone many years ago, that's why she rarely ventured away from her mountain and had to quit her job as a scribe, but she compensated it with a very sharp sense of hearing. As soon as the masters came she gladly accepted to tell them about the revolution, on the condition that they stayed for dinner.

Nabin could get used to this tourist guide job, so far he was paid for loitering around the streets and now he even got a great free meal out of it. As for the masters it became obvious that if everyone in Gorkha is so accommodating

at this rate they might return to China with a few extra pounds, especially Mantis and Monkey who gobbled everything on their plates. It's a shame that Po didn't join them on this trip, he would have really liked this feast.

-"Oh I remember Queen Sumatra, she married a member of her guard"- The old lady said pensive -"She wasn't as bad as they said, at least not during her first years of ruling"-

-"But then what happened?"- Tigress asked

Tibra's clouded eyes lost their happy crinkle, the memories of such an awful time weighted on her and almost seemed to drag her down, enveloping her in a heavy blanket of sorrow -"Sumatra had been queen for less than five years when a cruel drought killed most of our crops, usually in case of emergencies like these we get provisions sent from Terai so the king consort went towards the south to fetch for supplies. But as soon as he ventured into the mountains a powerful storm came, all the rain that refused to fall during the drought fell at once causing a landslide that killed him and his party while blocking any exit towards the south. Then as if that wasn't enough a harsh winter followed and our kingdom was locked towards the north behind walls of snow, we were trapped and without food. The people demanded answers from the queen but the grief of losing her mate made her mad, she locked herself in her room and said she could not help us, so our people were left to fend for ourselves. Tired of feeling hungry we threatened with an uprising and demanded a solution, but after a month of silence she came out of her room and declared something called "The state of nature"."- Raising her face to see Nabin he asked the child to wait outside of her home for the rest of the story, she said no younglings should hear it.

A moment of tense silence infested the dinner table as Tibra took some time to gather her memories

-"Basically she said we should all go back to our savage ways when predators ate pray, she made cannibalism legal. You can tell who was at the advantage here, the large powerful felines against the birds and smaller animals, since most of her court was made of tigers and leopards while his dissidents were prey. It served as a way to both deal with the famine and kill her opposition, anyone that dared to complain to her orders would be literally served roasted at her table. That's when I chose to build my house here, it would make it harder for large predators to come and kill me, for more than a moth we became nothing but food for whoever happened to be stronger than us"-

Tigress didn't think she could hear about this anymore, she couldn't bear the thought of knowing that her parents might have indulged in such awful practices. Meanwhile Monkey and Mantis regretted having such a large meal when a wave of nausea got triggered by the awful mental image of a cannibal feast.

-"But not all felines followed the order"- Tibra continued with a little more hope tingling her voice, if not for her kingdom at least for animal nature in general -"Many were appalled by the law so they fought their hunger and allied with the main opponent, a high rank general named Gainda that quit the court and rallied half of Sumatra's army against her. The revolt was bloody, so much that I think the revolution killed more animals than "The state of nature" could have accomplished had it carried along during the entire winter. The main authorities of the old rule were killed right away, but the queen was imprisoned throughout all of winter until the middle of spring, then she was carried to the public square and beheaded in front of a large crowd. Not happy with that the new king and his people even burned every painting and statue of the previous ruler, making sure to destroy her legacy"-

Everyone at the table became speechless. Something told Tigress that it might be best to leave the past be and go back to her home, before she discovered a truth more painful than anything she had ever imagined. But her stubborn nature reminded her that she hadn't made it this far to quit so close to the goal.

-"I am looking for my parents, they abandoned me in an orphanage arund the time of the large exile. And honestly I don't know if they might have belonged to the regime or if they could be innocent, but I came here looking for answers"-

Tibra sighed -"The government keeps a list of every feline that belonged to the previous rule and escaped, some even have a basic drawn portrait to make the identification easier. Many were hunted down and crossed from that list, others have not been found yet. If you can get it you can search for a couple that fits their description, I'm sure only a handful of them would be carrying a baby. Now I worked in the files section of the palace for over a decade, a good friend of mine is still working there and he owes me a favor, I'll write you a note that you can give to him"- The pheasant quickly wrote on a papyrus and handed it to them -"Just look for a stork named Sarasa"-

When they went to the palace to meet the stork the avian saw Tigress as if she were evil incarnate, she couldn't understand why would the scribe look so intimidated by her when he clearly spent more time among bigger felines than anyone back home at the Valley of peace.

Nonetheless with shaky wings he took Tibra's note and after reading it he muttered -"Well her eyesight must have gotten worse if she didn't see what was in front of her"- Shaking his head he guided them to the files room, at the back of it there was a library almost as big as the one the Jade Palace used to have before Kay destroyed it. Rows and rows of scrolls littered the shelves.

With an overly dignified tone that reminded the masters of Zheng he told them -"The list you are looking for is at the bottom right of the second shelf, but if you are looking for your parents I suggest you wait here, there's something you might want to see."-

He left them on their own to search for the list, once they got it they begun to copy the names written there.

-"Huh, what do you think was that all about?"- Viper asked worried

-"I don't know but I don't like it"- Shifu said looking in the direction where the scribe went.

-"It's probably another list or something"- Monkey said shrugging and helping Tigress with it. So far she had only found two couples who had a small child and their descriptions might match with her.

Several minutes passed and the stork returned holding a large scroll -"I believe this might help you on your quest"- He unfolded the scroll showing a beautiful painting of a tigress. The image depicted might have been a portrait of Master Tigress herself, if she wore purple dresses and a crown. Wait… a crown? why is the tigress in the picture wearing a crown?

-"Who is this?"- Tigress asked the scribe

-"This is the portrait of Queen Sumatra, it was commissioned for her coronation day."-

She felt numb as the horrible realization hit her, her parents weren't just siding with the awful regime, they were the regime. Only her deep seated pride prevented her from falling to the floor as her legs shook and her head felt like it was floating among clouds, her only defense against this terrible shock was denial. -"No! It's not possible! That queen never had a child no one said anything about her having an heir"- She said raising her voice and shaking her head, at the sight of the angry apex predator growling above him the stork flinched and stepped back. The other masters surrounded Tigress and gave placatory stares at the scribe, as if explaining him she wasn't a real threat, just angry.

Her paws were numb, but even then she could feel the touch of her friends and mentor as they tried to comfort her and give her support.

-"I, along with Tibra, worked as mere bureaucrats during the rebellion, though it is obvious to say that we sided with King Gainda since we feared for our lives during the state of nature. But everyone in the palace knew that the queen was pregnant since even before the revolution, when her regime fell our new king had to choose between killing a pregnant female and the innocent baby she had inside, or letting the baby be born and create a future enemy that would be the rightful heir, creating thus the possibility of yet another tiger to rule once more. The King assembled a council to debate on the matter with only his most trusted advisors from the previous and current court and after a lot of debate they all reached and agreement. The queen was allowed to live in prison during her pregnancy but once you were born you mother was executed and two soldiers took you as far away from Gorkha as possible, hoping you could be raised away from your bloody past. Apparently the past doesn't like to be buried though, it always finds a way to come back when you least expect it. Is this why you came here? Are you going to fight for your right to rule this land?"- Sarasa said with a tinge of hopelessness in his voice, he had survived through one of the most brutal dictatorships his nation had ever suffered and saw it rise from the ashes by a just ruler, could the awful past come haunt Gorkha again?

Her overwhelming wave of pain and anger was buried deep within as her survival instinct took over. By knowing her past she knew who she was, and above all who she was not. She wasn't a princess or a heiress of a cruel evil rule, she was a warrior who defended the innocent from monsters like this awful queen -"This piece of history was buried away for a good reason, all I ask you is that you bury it again"- She said looking directly at the stork's eyes -"I heard every portrait of her and every sign of her patrimony was destroyed, with the obvious exception of that painting over there. Burn that painting and there will be no way for me to prove who I am, I will never be able to claim my heritage. Do that and I give you my word that I'll go back to China never to return, we could pretend none of this ever happened and her legacy would be destroyed for good"-

With a relieved sigh the stork wrapped his wings around her legs -"Thank you so much, princess. You have allowed us to live in peace for good"-

Placing her huge paws over his back she answered -"I am not a princess, I am Master Tigress, and that's all I ever need to be"-

They all watched together as the queen's portrait burned in flames, finally destroying the last of her legacy. Then the masters left the kingdom as fast as they could, the summer night was crisp and clear, if they leave now they could make it home within a few days.

Once they were back in the Jade Palace nobody really expected Tigress to be her usual self, it didn't surprise the masters when she spent all her free time either meditating or sulking away in her room, clearly the truth about her past was a blow too hard for her to handle.

Once again everyone wished Po was here, he was really good at dealing with feelings and had a way to tackle Tigress's emotions that nobody else had. Alas Po isn't here anymore so it's up to them to help their friend.

Shifu is her mentor and her true father, considering a parent is the one that raises an individual for years through the good and the bad, not someone that merely mates and reproduces. He interacts with her the only way he knows how, by training her in Kung fu, he makes sure to pay special attention to her and keep her busy with a more demanding training schedule. Monkey and Mantis play pranks on her even when they know she hates those and would beat the crap out of them as soon as she catches that pesky duo, because deep down they know she needs an excuse to vent. Crane offers calligraphy lessons so she can find an artistic gateway for her pain, she follows his lessons without any enthusiasm but finds the menial task quite soothing. Viper makes her primp herself and puts flowers behind her ears even when Tigress always claim that she couldn't care any less about them, yet she keeps them on throughout the day anyway.

Knowing the truth about her past didn't bring her any closure or inner peace. She is not like Po, she can't face the awful reality and still come out innocent with her soul unscathed, yet inner peace did come by the acknowledgement of the loving family she always had by her side. So days went by and little by little things got back to normal, little by little she gained clarity on who she really was and how her past had nothing to do with it.

Until one day she wakes up one morning and feels like her old self, and the loving family around her goes on their daily lives finally aware on how much they all mean to each other.


End file.
